Exploring COVID-19 Patients’ Experiences of Healthcare System Responsiveness during the Disease Course: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: One of the basic steps to improve the quality of services provided to patients with COVID-19 is to recognize the dimensions of providing such services from the perspective of recipients. Accordingly, this study aimed to explain the COVID-19 patients’ experiences of healthcare system responsiveness during the disease course. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted using the conventional content analysis method in Iran from April 2020 to April 2021. Participants in this study included COVID-19 patients who were selected via purposive sampling. Data were collected through 34 telephone and face-to-face interviews and analyzed according to the method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. Results: Qualitative analysis of the data led to the identification of impaired health system responsiveness as the main theme. The main theme consisted of two categories including the collapse of hospitals (with the subcategories of lack of resources and defects in process management) and providing low-quality care (with the subcategories of providing low-quality nursing services, lack of comprehensive care, and threats to patient safety). Conclusion: To provide quality care services to COVID-19 patients, the health system must consider improving its responsiveness to patient needs, expanding the physical space of healthcare centers, equipping hospitals with the accommodations and amenities required by patients, and providing conditions for the staff to be able to immediately respond to patient needs.